


The Last Airbender

by whitedandelions



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Brave (2012), Frozen (2013), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Art, Crossover Pairings, F/F, F/M, M/M, Personal Growth, Reverse Big Bang Challenge, don't have to have watched Avatar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-14 11:12:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7168688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitedandelions/pseuds/whitedandelions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Avatar is the keeper of peace and the wielder of all four bending arts.  He's supposed to be all powerful and all knowing, but Jack just isn't ready to be the Avatar.  With his home destroyed by the Fire Nation and his new home in the Northern Water Tribe, Jack can't think of anything worse than having to learn how to bend fire in order to bring down the Fire Lord.  Unfortunately, life has different plans for him and he gets outed as the Avatar when the Fire Nation attacks.  He has to go on the run, but luckily, he meets a metal bender, who teaches him that sometimes it’s okay to have fears as long as you embrace them head on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Airbender

**Author's Note:**

> The only thing you need to know about the Avatar fandom is that there are four elements people can bend (water, earth, air, and fire) and are subsequently called their respective elements, for example water bending, air bending, etc. And that the Avatar is the keeper of peace and does so by wielding all four elements, but is chosen when like five years old basically and has to learn each element on their own. And the Avatar can go into something called the "Avatar State", where they can draw on the knowledge of past Avatars and know how to wield all four elements even if they don't know it when they're not in the Avatar state BUT they lose all control of themselves. All of this will be explained in the fic before it happens.
> 
> This work was made for the HijackReverseBigbang on tumblr. My artist was spacerabbitdrawing on tumblr and her art is AMAZING, the one she made for this fic will be linked below! And, she was the one who came up with the amazing prompt and we spent so many hours brainstorming over every little detail! Please click the link to reblog it/view it on the original tumblr too so she can see the notes if you liked it <3\. 
> 
> And thank you so much to my WONDERFUL betas, attemptingtotumble for fixing ALL my grammar mistakes (and there were a lot... xD) and citrusmewtwist for making me think harder about a lot of concept issues!

 

 

**Please if you like the drawing click the link below and go to her original post and give her likes/reblog so she can see it for sure! :)  She worked really hard on it so I really want her to see any feedback!  Thank you <3**

**[Spacerabbit's Drawing of Hiccup, Jack, Elsa, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Merida in Avatar style :)](http://spacerabbitdrawing.tumblr.com/post/145749804555/team-5-avatar-the-last-airbender-au-artist) **

**Book 1:  Water**

 

When he returns from flying, Elsa's there, her face scrunched up in annoyance.

"Where were you?" she demands, and he shrugs off her question, pushing past her to get into their house.  He lays his staff against the door as he slips off his boots and doesn't protest when Elsa follows him up into his room.  They're siblings, after all, even if they aren't related by blood, and Jack can never begrudge anything of Elsa.

She frowns at Jack when he stretches out comfortably on his bed.  He's going to get one of Elsa's lectures again.  

"Your hair looks nice braided," he says in an attempt to change the subject and it works for a split second as Elsa brightens at his words, her hand going to play with the end of her braid.

But she catches on and her slight smile disappears.  She's frowning at him again.  "If anyone saw you, Jack, they'll know you're the Avatar," she starts, and he cuts her off.

"I know," he grumpily says, "But I have to air bend at least a little!  I can't just make icicles all the time like you and be happy."

"Icicles," repeats Elsa, obviously offended, but she huffs anyway, pausing to shove Jack's feet away so she can sit down.  "I make snow, too, you know.  And you _like_ water bending."

"I do," he concedes, but he sighs heavily anyway.  "I'm the Avatar, Els.  I can't just stick to one type of bending."

"I wish you could," says Elsa, her voice soft.  

He doesn't take offense because the burden of being the Avatar isn't something he'll ever wish on anyone.  He knows it's his destiny - no, his _duty_ to bring down the Fire Lord and restore peace to the land but he's just not _ready_ for it.  After the Air Nomads had been all killed by the Fire Nation, he had lost himself.  He had been distraught and hadn't been paying attention to where he was going, and as such, ran straight into a storm he couldn't escape.  Out of fear of certain death, he had trapped himself in an iceberg, and it was only thanks to Elsa's family that he was finally free.

And yet, despite spending a hundred years inside an iceberg, he still wasn't ready to face his duty.  He had only been thirteen when he escaped.  As such, Elsa's family took him in and had hidden his air bending in order to ward off rumors that the Avatar had returned.  They used those three years to perfect his water bending (or in Elsa's case, ice bending and her love of ice had steadily passed on to her foster brother) and it was nearing the time that Jack had to leave.  He couldn't hide away in the Northern Water Tribe forever after all.

He still has to learn how to bend Earth and Fire.  The Avatar must learn all four elements in order to truly blanket the world in peace once again.  Even _if_ he now had an aversion to fire because of the trauma of seeing his old home go up in flickering flames, Jack knew it would only be a matter of time before he would be forced to face his duty.  The Fire Nation was getting more powerful each day and he couldn’t let them run unchecked for much longer.  He just couldn’t even think about having to learn fire bending without having a small panic attack.

"You're only sixteen," continues Elsa, and Jack doesn't pull away when her hand finds its way into his.  She squeezes hard and Jack winces, but still doesn't move.  "It's not fair, Jack."

He knows it isn't, and he lets a beat of silence pass to let her know he agrees.  He lets loose a small breath before mustering up a smile.  "Don't tell me the mighty Elsa is afraid," he teases, and she scowls at him.

"Hardly," she huffs, tossing her head so violently that it caused her tightly woven braid to whip around just as fast so that a few strands escape.  "I've been training for years now to bend ice in a way to withstand fire."

"You do know water beats fire, right?"

" _You_ can make the water," says Elsa.  "I'll stick to my ice."

He laughs and Elsa brightens, and suddenly their worries are chased away in Elsa's attempts to prove to Jack just how superior ice bending is to water.

* * *

"What was it this time?" asks Rapunzel, but even with her tone scolding, her touch is gentle and he knows it's with exasperated affection that Rapunzel heals him.

"I may have ran into a few things while I was in the air," he confesses, and Eugene, who had been sharpening his sword and not paying attention to them, barks out a startled laugh.

"You've been air bending your whole life," starts Eugene, a smirk on his face, "and you're still running into the cliffs?"

"You couldn't say that any louder, could you?" snaps Elsa, and Jack cuts in before the two can start bickering again.  It wasn't as if they hated each other; Elsa was just bitter that Eugene never actually _tried_ at water bending and still did well.  He could be a prodigy, but he preferred to spend his time swordfighting and with his girlfriend, Rapunzel.

"It's fine, Els," he does his best to calm her.  "There's no one around.  We're all the way up here, you know."  He gestures around, motioning to the high cliffs that is their camp and the churning sea underneath them.

"Fine," says Elsa, but she's still scowling when Eugene tries to cheer her up by making a rose out of water and offering it up to her.  She stares at it and it turns into pure ice.  Their little routine happens quite often, so Eugene just shrugs at the ice rose before turning and giving it to Rapunzel.

Jack stops paying attention to them when he notices smoke on the horizon.  The Northern Water Tribe is known for its iciness toward visitors, so it is extremely unusual to see _anything_ in the water around them.  "Guys?" he gets their attention before floating a few feet up in the air to get a better look.  "Are those ships?"

Rapunzel's already tucked the ice rose behind her ear when Jack floats back down and he marvels at it for a second before wrapping his arms around her and bending the air to send them back up once again.  Rapunzel has the best eyes out of all of them and she squints when he gets them to a higher vantage point.  When she gasps, he knows he saw right, and he gently bends them back down.

"We need to get back," says Rapunzel, her voice shaky but her stance firm.  They race down back to the shore, both Elsa and Eugene making their way easier by bending water.  

They're too late.  By the time they push past the crowd on the shore, the ships are already landing on the shore.

They’re in the front when the general emerges, dressed in the traditional garb of the Fire Nation.  Elsa’s father, the tribe leader, steps out to meet him, his back unnaturally straight and his face pinched.

“We have gotten word that you are harboring the Avatar,” speaks the general.  “Surrender him and we will leave your tribe in peace.”

There’s confused murmurs in the crowd around them since only Elsa’s family and his friends know about his existence.  Jack freezes in fear at the thought that his new home will end up like his old one and it’s only Elsa’s painful grip on him that stops him from exposing himself.   “Elsa,” he whispers, “I can’t.  I can’t just stay here and hide when they’re looking for me.  I can’t ask the tribe to surrender itself for me when I’ve already failed the world.”

“You can,” says Elsa, her voice firm.  “They’ll punish us anyway for not surrendering you right away.  Dad knows that.”

And to prove her right, her dad gets into a fighting stance, his hands posed to water bend.  “You have a lot of nerve, fire bender, to land ships on Northern Water Tribe territory and then make demands.”

The general’s face distorts into annoyance.  “We know he’s here.  Refusing to hand him over will only lead to more pain for your Tribe.  We are willing to overlook your transgressions…”

The tribe leader snorts, gracefully tossing his head when the general stares at him in disbelief.  “You expect me to believe you?  You came here itching for a fight and the water benders will give you one.”

The general is silent before a sinister smile overtakes his face.  “You are right about one thing.  Fire Lord Saizo has ordered us to wipe you all out of existence and to bring only the Avatar back alive.  It’s about time we got rid of water benders.”  He stepped back, raising his voice and his sword.  “Soldiers, to me!”

The fight erupts almost in an instant.  Water benders as one bend a wave from the ocean, crashing into ships and knocking them against each other.  Fire benders answer with a bright flame that emits heat so hot that Jack can feel it even though he’s standing far away.  

A few minutes later, and it’s clear that they’re steadily losing.  Even when Elsa, Eugene, and him jump to help the other water benders in holding back the fire benders, they’re still grossly outnumbered.  The Fire Nation’s come prepared with a horde of battleships and they have no chance of winning in their current state.  He has to do something to lessen the load.

He slams his palm against a fire bender, bending water and immediately sending the man flying back from a gush of water.  Immediately, another fire bender moves to take his place.  He weaves around the fire bender’s attacks, gracefully dodging a high kick and then a punch before sending the fire bender flying with a gush beneath him.  He pauses to pant at the exertion before looking around and seeing Elsa, her hands a whirl and her body a blur as she sends ice crystals flying everywhere.

“Elsa?” he calls when she’s cleared out a path around her.  She turns, panicked blue eyes flying to his.  “You’re about to be really mad at me,” he warns, and she narrows her eyes at him, already opening her mouth to yell something when he slams his feet on the ground and then air bends himself up into the sky.

There’s a complete silence on the field as everyone takes in just what’s happened.  He doesn’t dare meet the eyes of the people he’s known for three years now, shop owners, teachers, even _classmates_ , because he’s hidden this part of himself from them for so long.

“The Avatar!” shouts the general.  “Don’t let him escape!”

Jack can’t help the cheeky salute he gives the general as he quips, “Gotta catch me first, then, slowpokes!”

He air bends away, expertly using the staff that he hasn’t used in forever to glide through the air.  He glances down every few seconds or so to make sure that a large portion of the army is still following him and then does his best to speed up and lose them by heading toward their secret hideout.    
  
Unfortunately, he doesn’t factor in just how strong and crafty the fire benders are.  They catch him unaware with a burst of flame from all of them and he stumbles immediately.  After that, it’s not much longer that they get ahold of him, and then he’s being forcibly marched back to the center of the fight.  

Everyone stills at the sight of the Avatar caught and restrained, and the silence is only broken by Elsa’s sob of despair.  Jack’s forced to his knees in front of the General.

The General sneers, “So this is the mighty Avatar that has our Fire Lord so afraid?  You don’t look like much.”

Jack glares defiantly back up at the General, snarling when the General just throws his head back and laughs gleefully.

“You can’t even protect the Northern Water Tribe,” taunts the General.  “Don’t worry, you’ll live to see all your friends die.  Just like how it happened back with the Air Nomads.  Who wants to go first?”  He pauses, then gestures at Elsa, who is obviously the most affected by Jack’s capture.  “How about her?”

“Don’t touch her,” warns Jack.

The General scoffs, “And who are you to give me commands?”  He lifts his hand, a fireball burning hot and bright in the center.  He hovers it near Elsa.

Searing pain erupts behind Jack’s eyes and he screams, breaking free of the restraints in order to cradle his head in his hands.  

When he lifts his head back up, his eyes are glowing a bright white light.  Markings cover the entirety of his skin and there’s a blur of knowledge in his head, accompanied by an endless murmuring from a myriad of voices.  

The General stumbles back in surprise, but Jack barely has any time to think about his actions.  It _hurts_ , and he can’t control himself at all.  His arm lifts out of its own will and then a huge hand forms out of the water.  It sweeps the fire benders still on the shore back into the water.

Then the searing pain becomes completely unbearable and the last thing he sees is Elsa’s crying face.

* * *

**Book 2: Earth**

He wakes to Elsa hovering over him, tears dried up but the trails they left still there.  She gives him a watery smile when his vision finally focuses and then she's crying all over again, throwing her arms around him and eliciting a slight grunt from him as all her body weight lands on him.  

Gingerly, he brings his own arms up around her, doing his best to comfort her.  He can't remember the last time his sister cried in front of him, and it's slightly freaking him out now to see her doing so.  Even more puzzling is the fact that they're on a _boat._ They're out in the middle of the sea and he has no clue why.  Rapunzel's face appears in his line of sight and although she's not crying, she still looks slightly disheveled, dark circles under her eyes and a few blonde strands sticking out of her tight braid.

"What happened?  Are they all alive?  Are they okay?" he asks, and Rapunzel's slight smile immediately falls at his question.  

Elsa finally sits up at his question and in the process, helps him into an upright position.  She still looks a bit distraught, but she's not crying anymore, so Jack considers it a step in the right direction.   "Jack, what's the last thing you remember?"

He only spends a second thinking over the question before shaking his head.  “Only that the General captured me and was going to hurt you. Then everything’s just…blank.”

Elsa looks like she's going to cry again and her grip on his hand borders on harsh pain.  But he doesn't pull away because the pain grounds him.  Reminds him that what happened was real and not just a nightmare.  “Oh Jack,” says Elsa, when she pulls away.  “Maybe it’s best if you forget.”

“Why?” he asks.  “Does that mean everyone’s…” he trails off, too scared to finish, and Elsa shakes her head firmly.

"They're okay," she affirms, her bottom lip trembling.  "Father told us to go.  We couldn't stay, not after the Fire Nation revealed you as the Avatar."

"And you three just volunteered to come?" he asked, his voice rough.  "Just left home and put me on a boat and set off?"

"You weren't waking up, Jack," said Rapunzel, her voice pleading.  "We couldn't wait forever."

"You shouldn't have come," he says.  "This isn't your duty.  It's mine.  I can't ask you guys to give up everything just to follow me on this dumb quest."

"It's not _dumb_ ," says Elsa vehemently.  "You're the Avatar, Jack.  You're _supposed_ to bring peace."

"Don't you think I know that?" he can't stop himself from spitting out angrily.  "Els, I already failed this world when I got trapped in that iceberg!  And I couldn't even save my home from the Fire Nation.  How can I be the one to stop the Fire Lord?"  His voice breaks and to his horror, he finds his eyes tearing up.  He blinks rapidly in order to stall the tears from falling because he hasn't cried ever since the Nomads had been killed.  He had promised himself then to never cry again because tears were useless.  They weren't going to bring them back, after all.

The girls are silent as they stare at him with wide, horrified eyes, and he's about to apologize for his outburst when Eugene speaks up.  "You have to, Jack.  You're the only hope we have left.  And we're safer with you."

The girls exchange guilty glances at Eugene's words and then there's a tight feeling in Jack's chest.  "What do you mean?  You couldn't possibly mean ...you said they're okay!"

"And they _are_ ," says Eugene, talking over Rapunzel's protests.  "But the Fire Nation is looking for you and they're punishing the tribe for keeping you a secret.  They sent reinforcements only a few days after the attack.  So we snuck out and Elsa trapped the tribe in a wall of ice."

"This is my fault," says Jack, shaking.  The tight feeling in his chest gets worse and it's all he can do not to collapse into a mess on the small boat, surrounded by his closest friends.  And he knows that they'll comfort him, but he doesn't want them to, because it's _his_ fault that they're out here now, away from everything they've ever known.

So he runs.  He turns, ignoring the way his heart burns even more at the distraught expression of his sister, and he takes a running leap off the side of the boat, letting the wind carry him up.  He bends expertly, refusing to look back down even though he knows they're distraught. He can't take care of them right now. He can hardly take care of his own overwhelming emotions.

When he gets above the clouds, he lets out a harsh exhale, pressing the heel of his palms against his tightly shut eyes in hopes it'll help take away the pain of everything.  It works for a few blessed seconds but when he puts his arms back down, it all comes rushing back.  Not even the elation of being high up in the air and surrounded by fluffy clouds is able to erase the fact that he's just lost his second home to the Fire Nation.

He floats there for a few minutes, caught up in himself,  so he's completely surprised when something flies right past him.  He almost loses concentration of his bending because when he's this high up the only moving thing is usually himself.  It's only because he's been bending since he was a little boy that he's able to get a grasp on his air bending again.

Once he's stabilized, he stares open-mouthed past the ...thing that just flew past him.  It's made completely out of metal, but the wings that attach to the side behave nothing like metal he's known.  It _moves_ as if it's alive, rippling in response to the harsh wind blowing against them, and it expertly keeps the wearer afloat.  The thing has a tail with a dorsal fin to keep it upright and it's only moments of staring at it and following after it that allows him to realize that the _thing_ is a contraption worn by a _human_.

No, not just a human.

A bender.  An _air_ bender.

Immediately, all morose thoughts of what's just happened to the Northern Water Tribe is blown away by the thought that someone escaped and that it's not just him left.  That the Fire Nation wasn't successful in their genocide of the Air Nomads and that he _wasn't_ a failure as an Avatar.

He speeds up his pace and nearly rams into the metal-wearing bender.  He narrowly blows a gust of wind through his nostrils to adjust his trajectory just a bit and he ends up just shy of running into the bender.  The bender must notice him at the same exact time because the bender startles and the metal contraption immediately stops working.

"Hi," he says out of lack of anything else to say, and that's when the bender immediately drops and Jack's heart nearly leaps out of his chest.  He doesn't have time to think about the fact that there's no way this bender is an _air_ bender because Jack's diving after him in hopes to stop him before he lands and dies on the ocean surface because of how high up they are.

The metal helmet flies off just as the bender tries to stabilize himself by flattening his body parallel and Jack nearly loses his breath as silky brown locks expose themselves, rapidly becoming mussed by the high wind speeds.  The bender is yelling something angrily, almost desperately, but the words are swallowed up by the wind.  The bender's a boy around his age, and he only has a split second to notice how startlingly green the boy's eyes are before he's near enough to grab a flailing limb and pull the boy flush against his chest.

The boy gasps, his breath tickling against Jack's nose, and Jack scrunches his nose even as he tries to get his breath back and his heart back under control.  The metal is cool under his arm and the leather around the boy's waist is easy enough to hold tight to ensure that they both don't drop into the ocean.  The boy has freckles; they dust the tip of his nose and his cheeks and they stand out against how pale the boy is.  

"How are you flying?" the boy asks when they're both breathing normally again, and Jack can't help the slight quirk to his lips when the boy tightens his grip on Jack when Jack slightly shifts to adjust their height a bit.  It's not easy to air bend without moving, but the boy is light even with all the metal on him and it's only taking a little bit more concentration to keep them afloat.

"Air bending," he says, not caring that this outs him as the Avatar because the Fire Nation already knows and he has a gut feeling that this boy isn't from there.  "And you?"

The boy's green eyes widen at that and Jack prepares himself for incredulity but the boy surprises him.  "Metal bending, actually," the boy says rather smugly, and there's a spark in those green eyes that challenge him to disbelieve him.

"That's not possible," he says, because if there was a bending that's not one of the major four then he would be the first to know about it.

"Just like yours isn't," retorts the boy, grinning madly with his cheeks flushed red from the wind, and Jack grins right back because he likes the spunk in this kid.  He's just about to remark on it when a shadow overtakes them.  Chills run down his back at the thought that something above them is big enough to cast a _shadow_ on them, but then the boy is whistling and he narrowly loses his heartbeat again when the boy shoves him away and pinches Jack's back to get him to let go.  It works, and then the boy is tumbling and he's about to cry out in alarm when the shadow disappears and in a flash too fast to see, the boy's standing on top of a _dragon_.

The boy quirks an eyebrow at him as if to taunt him, but Jack doesn't have time to even roll his eyes at the boy because he _knows_ the dragon.  He's seen this dragon in his dreams ever since he was young because this dragon belonged to him in another lifetime.  He floats forward tentatively, unsure if the dragon remembers him or not, and tumbles backward in shock when a loud, booming voice enters his head.

 _Avatar Jack_ , the voice says, sounding male, _It is nice to finally meet you_.

A smile crosses his face and some part of him is elated that this dragon _knows_ who he is.  He suspects that part belongs to Roku, the Avatar that came before him.  He immediately bows, a cheeky grin on his face when he's straightened up again.  "And a pleasure to see you again, dragon."

 _Hiccup's named me Toothless,_ the dragon says, and Jack can't stop the shiver down his back when Toothless smiles back at him.  The lack of teeth fits the namesake and he wonders briefly if that is why Hiccup named him that.  Though Hiccup obviously wasn't very good at naming things himself because _his_ name was _Hiccup_.

"Your name is Hiccup?" he blurts out before he can get over the name and Hiccup frowns at him, obviously confused.

"Who told you that?" he asked, warily.  

"Toothless did," he said, and Hiccup's eyes widen.

"Are you _talking_ to my dragon?" he asks, and ah, there is the incredulity he had been waiting for since he's told Hiccup he could air bend.  "Is this a side effect from being the Avatar?"

"Yup," he says, cheerfully, and he floats himself over to where Hiccup is still standing on Toothless.  Hiccup watches him with suspicion until Jack just plops himself down onto Toothless, immediately sprawling himself onto the dragon's firm back and stretching.  It feels good to finally stop air bending and he knows Hiccup is a good guy or else Toothless would have never deigned to follow him.

He's proven right when Hiccup just heaves a sigh and sits down next to him, crossing his legs and staring balefully down at Jack.  "I'm kinda jealous," Hiccup admits, and Jack grins at the admission.

"Of what?  Me being the Avatar?  Or me talking to Toothless?"

Hiccup snorts, "Are people normally jealous of you being the Avatar?  I don't even want to be the head of my kingdom; I can hardly imagine actually having to bring peace to the world.  So no, definitely not jealous of you being the Avatar."

His grin gets wider at Hiccup's words and he tilts his head up to look Hiccup in the eye.  "You're one of the smarter ones, then."

Hiccup hums, "So can you ask Toothless if eating all that fish everyday is good for him?  I _can_ find him other proteins, you know."

"So you find out I can talk to Toothless and the first thing you want to know is if he likes his diet?"

"I don't want to hurt him," says Hiccup, sounding offended.  "He's the only one of his kind, you know, and it's been all guessing since I've met him.  I don't want to feed him something that's bad for him."

Jack listens to Toothless ' reply and he can't stop himself from laughing even when Hiccup aims a glare at him.  "Look," says Jack, unable to keep his grin from his face, "Toothless is perfectly fine with fish and he can hunt himself if he really wants a snack.  He says he ate some of your sheep before and no one even noticed."

Hiccup's face looks comical in its shock and then he's scrambling to his feet.  Hiccup's fast on his feet, thanks to his scrawny build, and before Jack can say anything, Hiccup's already dashing to the front of Toothless and Jack's shock is quickly overtaken by amusement when he hears the words Hiccup's saying to Toothless.

Toothless grumbles when Hiccup's finally stopped ranting about how killing precious livestock is _not_ the way to endear himself to the Earth Kingdom and aims his ire at Jack.   _I told you not to tell Hiccup I've been eating the sheep,_ grouches Toothless and Jack throws his head back and laughs because the pure _exasperation_ in Toothless' voice is simply delightful.  

"Shouldn't you be happy too?" he says, lazily bending the air in order to ensure Toothless can hear him.  "You can finally really communicate with Hiccup thanks to me."

Toothless grumbles and doesn't actually agree, but Jack's attention is quickly caught by Hiccup's rapidly brightening face as he heads back over to Jack.  It seems like at least one of them is eager to actually communicate now.  He suspects that Toothless is so reluctant because of his time as Roku's dragon, but he doesn't say a word, and instead dutifully translates what Hiccup wants to say to Toothless.

He doesn't know how long they stay up there in the sky, but the sun's setting when he suddenly realizes with a start that he's left his _friends_ down in the boat.  He knows that they're used to him suddenly disappearing, but he's never left them while he had been distraught.  He almost just takes off running, but he's in mid conversation with Hiccup, and he suddenly realizes why he had lost track of time so easily.  He doesn't want this to end.  He wants to stay up here on Toothless with Hiccup and chat about their lives and _not_ go back down and face Elsa and his duty as the Avatar.  It's easy here; Hiccup is easy to talk to and he has bright green eyes that seem to just invite Jack- to tell him everything and it's _hard_ to think that as soon as he heads back down he may never see Hiccup again.  He doesn't think he's ever connected to someone so fast before and the thought of leaving Hiccup makes him grimace.

Hiccup notices and he cuts himself off mid-sentence, a worried expression crossing his face.  "Is everything alright, Jack?"

He shrugs as his default answer, "I'm not here alone."

"Oh?" asks Hiccup and he makes a show of surreptitiously glancing around Jack as if he could find out just who Jack is talking about and Jack rolls his eyes.

"You're silly, Hiccup," he says, "My friends are in a boat.  They're probably really upset that I haven't come back yet."

"Oh," says Hiccup, looking oddly disappointed and Jack would tease him about it if he wasn't feeling the same bereft feeling.  He sighs, standing, and he makes to jump off Toothless when Hiccup grabs his arm.  "Why don't I come with you?" asks Hiccup, looking a bit nervous.  "You know, actually let them know where you were and that you're not lying."

"Weren't you off to go back to the Earth Kingdom?" he asks, even as his heart speeds up because some part of him just doesn't want to leave Hiccup.  Eugene is a great guy friend and all, but he likes to spend more time talking about Rapunzel than anything else and it's _tiring_ on a guy to continuously talk about another guy’s girlfriend.  Hiccup's different; he listens to Jack _and_ he's a prankster who can take a joke and that's enough to win a special place in his heart.

"You can come with us?" asks Hiccup, biting his lips, and when Jack pauses to consider it, he presses on.  "You have to bring peace to the world, don't you?  And the fastest way to do that is to learn all the elements.  And I can teach you how to bend Earth."

"Aren't you a metal bender?"

Hiccup looks amused now, "Metal bending _is_ earth bending, Jack."

"Oh," says Jack, hating how his cheeks were probably bright red now.  He's pale so any blush shows up pretty noticeably on him.  "I totally knew that."

"Right," says Hiccup, the amusement never fading, but he thankfully continues.  "I didn't want to say anything, but my dad's actually pretty important.  I'm sure he'll welcome you in if I ask him."

"Well," he hedges, unwilling to agree to anything without asking Elsa and the others, but when Hiccup tilts his head at him and smiles, he gives in.  "Okay, yeah- that'll be great, Hiccup.  We don't actually have any plan on where we're heading anyway."

"Yeah?" asks Hiccup.  "Good.  Let's go see your friends then?"

"Sure," says Jack.  "Elsa's a little uh cold when you first meet her.  Don't let it get to you.  And she's just a _tad_ mad at me, so don't be surprised when she starts to throw icicles."

"Ah," says Hiccup, "A water bender then?"

"Don't call her that to her face, though," says Jack, "she much prefers the term ice bender."  He jumps off of Toothless before Hiccup can reply, immediately air bending in order to stay afloat.  He gestures toward Hiccup and waits until he hears Hiccup tell Toothless to follow him.  

It doesn't take long to find the small boat in the midst of all the water.  He's grateful he's run into Hiccup then, because traveling to find the Earth Kingdom would be near impossible without Toothless there to help them navigate.  He hopes _that_ would at least save him a lecture from Elsa.

He stops the icicles flying toward him with a well-practiced wave and when he lands on the boat, he tsks loudly.  Elsa's standing in front of him, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and Jack _would_ make a quip about how angry she is, but her cheeks are stained with tears and he can't do it.  "Sis," he starts, and Elsa shakes her head angrily, a frown prominent on her face.

"Don't _you_ start, Jack.  You can't just fly out there on your own now.  There's people _looking_ for you now.  It's not safe."

He's just about to protest when Elsa squeaks and suddenly she's rushing in front of him, using her right arm to shove him behind her.  Hiccup's finally arrived.  "Oh the dragon," Jack says, and Elsa twists to glare at him.  

"What _is_ that?" she asks, and he smiles and is about to probably make Elsa more mad when a throat clears itself and Hiccup's head pokes out behind the dragon's large wings.

"We call him a night fury," Hiccup explains, his voice pleasant despite Elsa's dour mood.  "His name's Toothless."

"Toothless?" cuts in Rapunzel, who impatiently pushes past Eugene.  Like Elsa, Eugene had shielded his girlfriend when Hiccup arrived and probably should have known better considering Rapunzel doesn't need anyone to protect her like that.  She curiously walks to the edge of the boat, her head tilted to the side as she studies Toothless.  "He doesn't seem to be missing any teeth," she muses out loud when Toothless bares his teeth at her, and Hiccup's laugh fills the air at that.

"Toothless," Hiccup says, and Toothless obeys and Rapunzel gasps as his teeth retract.  Her eyes are shining in wonder and the large expanse of water in between the two of them is probably the only thing stopping the healer from rushing forward.  Hiccup's grin is easy to see and then he jumps off Toothless in order to land on the boat.  He spreads his arms to probably use his armor to make the short distance to the boat, but before he can bend, Jack twitches his fingers and a light breeze brings Hiccup.  Hiccup lands easily, sending a look of thanks before straightening up and facing the water benders.

"Hi, name's Hiccup.  You must be his sister, Elsa?" he pauses to hold out his hand to Elsa, and although Elsa's still frowning, she politely shakes it.  

"She's Rapunzel," she said, tossing her head to indicate where her best friend is.  "Eugene is the other one."

"Hey," cuts in Eugene, offended.  "You were supposed to use my code name."

"Why do we even need code names?" asks Elsa, her ire turned to Eugene.  "Our tribe was cut off enough they won't even know we exist."

"You never know," said Eugene.  "Someone might break and tell them we're missing.  Anyway," he turns to face Hiccup, "you can call me Flynn Rider."

"Really," says Jack, "You're going to use the name you came up with when we were kids?"

Eugene shrugs, "It's a cool name, still.  Punzel agrees, right?"

"She agrees because she loves you," says Jack.  "Fortunately, I do _not_ , so I'm just going to tell Hiccup right now just to ignore you.  It's easier that way, really," he says, his voice lowered as if he's secretly confiding in the brunette.  "We all mostly ignore him."

Hiccup looks amused, and his smile becomes even more brilliant when Eugene protests that Jack really _does_ love him.  "I'll keep that in mind," he says.  

"So, Hiccup," says Rapunzel.  "What brings you out here?"

"Just mapping the area," he says.  "Didn't realize we ended up so far from home though.  You just fly too fast, don't you, buddy," he aims the last of his words to his dragon, bending slightly backwards so Toothless knows he's talking to him.

Toothless, even if he can't understand Hiccup, just snorts because the dragon is awfully used to Hiccup teasing him.  He pauses to send Jack a look as if to say 'Can you believe what I've had to deal with since Roku died?'

"Can he actually understand you?" asks Rapunzel, and Hiccup's grin grows wider.

"Nope, but Jack here can."  Rapunzel's mouth drops open and then she's frowning at Jack.  

"You could talk to dragons this whole time and you never told me?  How dare you, Jack Frost."

"Frost?" interrupts Hiccup before Rapunzel can finish her angry tirade.  

"Elsa's dad gave me the name when he adopted me into their family," says Jack.  "It's rather grown on me."  To prove his point, he opens the palm of his right hand, carefully sculpting a beautiful snowflake to float a few inches above his hand.

"Show-off," says Hiccup, good-naturedly.  

"Right," banters Jack back, "And who is the one who made all of that?"  He pauses to gesture at Hiccup's armor and Hiccup quirks an eyebrow.

"Are you talking about my armor, Mr. Frost?  Or should I be worried about my virtue?"

Jack goes bright pink at Hiccup's words, reminiscent of the hours of teasing that just happened prior to this.  Elsa looks intrigued when he accidentally glances over at her to escape the amused look on Hiccup's face and he immediately coughs to hide how flustered he is.  "The armor, Hiccup.  No one here's interested in your virtue."

Hiccup snickers before taking pity on Jack and changing the subject.  "So Toothless is strong enough to carry all of us to the Earth Kingdom and judging by Jack's story, that's probably where you guys want to head next."

"Wow," says Elsa, slowly, a badly hidden smirk on her face, "Jack's told you a lot, hasn't he?"

Hiccup doesn't catch on and instead looks at Elsa with confusion.  "Yes?  We spent a lot of time up there on Toothless."

When Jack subtly nudges his sister, she stops with her teasing and sobers up.  "We need Jack to learn the four elements.  He's got water and air down, but he's hopeless on fire and he can barely make a pebble move with earth."

"Hiccup offered to teach me," said Jack.

Elsa looks a bit hesitant and she sighs.  "I'm not going to say Hiccup's going to be a bad teacher, but you learned water with a whole class and air from all of the Nomads.  Is he going to be enough?"

"Yes," he says, his tone brooking no argument, and Elsa just shrugs, for once actually submitting to his judgment.

"Alright then," she says.  "What are we going to do about the boat?"

"Leave it," suggests Eugene.  "It's just a small one and we can't hope to ride it all the way to the Earth Kingdom."

Elsa hesitates, and Hiccup cuts in.  "If you're worried about the value, I can scavenge all the metal parts.  Wood's easy enough to replace."

"How long would that take?" asks Elsa and Hiccup's smile is a little secretive.

"Not very long at all, m'lady.  Why don't you guys get on Toothless and I'll get to work on the boat."

Elsa looks skeptical, but she doesn't get time to voice any disagreement because Jack waves a hand and all three of his closest friends are gently lifted onto Toothless, along with all their packs and provisions.  Elsa makes a disgruntled sound as soon as she's righted herself and her voice carries over.  "I do want a saddle sometime soon!  How are we supposed to stay on?"

Jack grins, saluting Hiccup before floating off of the boat's surface and landing next to Elsa.  "Don't worry, sis, air bending to the rescue."  After asking permission from Toothless, he creates a cage of air around the four of them on Toothless' back, caging them all in and preventing them from falling off.  It'll only take a little concentration to hold, and he's hoping by the time they get to the Earth Kingdom they'll have a better situation.

Hiccup tilts his head, "Mm, are you making a fence with your bending?  I can make us a saddle, you know."

"My hero," says Jack, and he dispels the cage with a flick of his wrist.  

Hiccup grins, "Mind helping me up then?"

"My pleasure," replies Jack and he uses the leftover power from earlier to gently float Hiccup upward.  Hiccup lands on Toothless' neck and then he's closing his eyes, his palms held out in front of him.  There's only a slight shift in the air before the boat's creaking and breaking apart.  The wood floats in the water and the leftover metal is forming in thin air to vaguely resemble a saddle.

"It's not going to be comfortable," apologizes Hiccup.  "But it'll be better than falling off.  Jack, can you ask Toothless if it's alright if I strap this on?"

Jack pauses and converses with Toothless for a bit before giving Hiccup the go ahead.  Without Hiccup even asking, Jack lifts his friends in the air and then Hiccup is sliding the saddle on.  They work well as a team together, Jack notices; they don't even need words to tell each other what needs to be done.

"How is that possible?" asks Rapunzel, as soon as they're on their way to Earth Kingdom.  "Did you come up with it yourself?  Can everyone do that in your kingdom?"

"My kingdom," repeats Hiccup, a slight quirk of amusement to his lips.  "No," he goes on before Rapunzel can get flustered, "It's something I came up with myself.  I forgot to mention this, but only one person knows I can metal bend in the Earth Kingdom, so if you guys don't mind, can you keep it a secret for now?"

"Why?" asks Elsa, genuinely curious.  "Are you scared that others will try to learn it?"

"No," says Hiccup.  "It's just complicated."

Elsa looks like she wants to pry, but Jack cuts in.  "How long is it till we get there?"

"We probably won't get there until," Hiccup paused, holding his hand out in front of him and putting each finger down as he calculated, "tomorrow's sunrise.  So if you guys want to get some sleep, now is the time."

Jack felt a bout of weariness hit him right at Hiccup's words and he yawns as he stretches his arms high above his head.  

"Looks like someone just realized he's tired," says Hiccup and Jack just shrugs at him.

"I slept for three days straight.  Figured I shouldn't be tired but here I am, about ready to pass out."

Hiccup pauses to rummage through his pack and then brings out a comfy-looking sweater.  He throws it toward Jack.  "I figured you wouldn't get cold, but you can use that as a pillow."

Jack catches it easily, and shoots Hiccup a look of thanks.  He curls up with Hiccup's sweater and falls fast asleep to the steady sound of Toothless' beating wings.

* * *

When he wakes, the sun is just rising.  He groggily blinks the sleepiness out of his eyes and then yelps as Toothless starts to descend.  When he sits up, Hiccup's just about to jump off.  He scrambles up and grabs Hiccup''s hand just as he's spreading his arms.  Hiccup turns, surprise clear to see in his eyes.

"What's up?" asks the metal bender and Jack frowns.

"Where are you going?"

"Oh," says Hiccup.  "Elsa and I talked while you guys were sleeping.  She thinks it's probably best if we keep quiet about who you four actually are.  My friend, the one who knows about the bending, should be on patrol right now so I'm going to try to talk to her so she can help us get in."

"You're not wanted or something, right?" asks Jack, worried about the last part of Hiccup's sentence.

Hiccup actually snorts at that, "If you mean by wanted that I'm going to get a pretty bad lecture sometime in the near future, then yeah, I'm pretty wanted.  That happens when you leave your dad to go out," he deepens his voice and his Scottish accent becomes clearer to hear, "adventurin' like the wee lad I am."

"Oh," says Jack, relief filling his body.  "Is your dad scary, then?"

"The scariest," says Hiccup.  "Scarier than doing this."  Jack pauses, narrowing his eyes because even though he's only known Hiccup for a short amount of time, it's obvious the boy enjoys surprising him.  Hiccup only grins back before shaking Jack's grip off of him and then falling straight backwards.  Jack gasps and tries to catch him and then watches as Hiccup quickly rights himself and uses his armor to glide safely away.  Hiccup lets out a yell of pure elation and Jack rolls his eyes, pausing to grumble to Toothless just how utterly crazy Hiccup is.

"You like him, don't you?" asks Rapunzel, coming to sit down next to him.

Jack turns in surprise; he hadn't heard her footsteps at all.  "Morning," he says.

Rapunzel smiles at him, "You can't lie to me, Mister.  Elsa likes to pretend that she's the only one who knows you, but we all know you pretty well, you know.  Just like I'm pretty sure I know you like boys."

His heartbeat rockets like crazy and he stares at her with his mouth slightly agape.  "How?  Did Elsa tell you?"

"No," laughs Rapunzel, leaning her weight to the side so she can playfully nudge Jack.  "I told you Elsa's not the only one watching."

"Do you think I'm disgusting?" he asks, after a beat of silence, and Rapunzel's face completely changes.  She shakes her head a couple of times, completely flustered and worried, and that's enough to convince him that Rapunzel still loves him as she's always done.

"Of _course_ not, Jack," says Rapunzel, her eyes earnest.  "You can't honestly think that I believe the tribe elders!  You know how I feel about them.  They wouldn't even let me learn offensive bending.  They're backwards and now that we're free, you can finally accept that it's _okay_ that you're different.  Even if you don't fall heads over heels for Hiccup, I want you to know that it's okay to like boys."

He doesn’t know how to reply to her so he just ducks his head in embarrassment, his cheeks hot from the warmth inside his chest at Rapunzel’s words.  He inches his hand toward hers, and he lays it on top, and Rapunzel’s smile is bright when he gets the courage to look back up.  “So does that mean if I chase Hiccup, you’ll let me teach you how to offensively bend?”

“I got over that years ago,” laughs Rapunzel.  “I like healing, just fine.  Though you and Hiccup _will_ make a cute couple.”

“You’re just saying that because he’s the first guy I’ve talked to outside of our tribe,” he says, wrinkling his nose even when his heart is beating fast at her words.  Because he likes Hiccup, but he doesn’t know if it’s just because the metal bender _is_ the first guy he even has the potential to like.  “And besides, we don’t even know if Hiccup actually likes boys.  Or if this is even accepted in the Earth Kingdom.”

“Of course it is,” Rapunzel waves off his concerns.  “Only the Northern Water Tribe could be so backwards.”

“I hope you’re right,” he says, and Rapunzel just huffs at him for even daring to think she could be wrong.  

He leans into her, her warmth next to him comforting as Toothless finishes his descent downward.  Elsa and Eugene come to join them when Toothless is almost to the ground, Eugene leaning against Rapunzel’s other side and Elsa next to Jack.When they land, they catch sight of a young girl, dressed in the standard style of the Earth Kingdom, running toward them nimbly, her metal axe glinting in the early sunlight.  She got there before they could get off of Toothless and to Jack’s surprise, she wraps her arms around Toothless as far as they can go and murmurs a soft greeting.  

She then glances up at them and gasps in surprise when Jack grabs his staff and easily floats them all, and their packs, off of Toothless safely.  Toothless takes this as his cue to leave and after a farewell to Jack, he spreads his wings and takes off, presumably to find Hiccup.

“Hello,” says the girl, pleasantly, her golden spun hair braided similarly to Elsa’s.  She’s beautiful, with radiant blue eyes and picturesque beauty.  “I’m Astrid.  And I’m guessing one of you is the Avatar?”  

“That’s me,” says Jack, raising his hand in greeting.

“Nice to meet you all,” Astrid says when the rest of the group finishes introducing themselves to her.  “I can see Hiccup took off running on you guys,” grins Astrid.  “You can never keep track of him.  Not a single patient bone in his body.”

“Where did he go?” asks Elsa, worried.  “Are you going to be able to get us in without his help?”

Astrid nods and then pauses, her eyes darting upward.  Then she lunges, pushing Jack behind her and raising her arm up in front of her to catch the flaming arrow that comes flying toward them.  She catches it by the wooden shaft, but the flames spread to the rest of her body anyway even as Astrid drops the arrow, and Astrid slumps against Jack even as Jack tries to douse the flames with copious amounts of water.

“Astrid,” he calls, panicked, and out of the corner of the eye, he sees Elsa raise her hands and an ice wall comes up to surround them, protecting them from the outside.  Rapunzel is next to him then, and she’s unlatching the water container she keeps at her belt.  She brings the water out with a well-practiced wave and then she’s holding it above Astrid, the water glowing a bright blue.  “Is she going to be okay?”

Rapunzel’s already biting her lower lip, and then she flicks her finger so that the water spreads and a thin sheet of it is on the blonde girl.  “I need more water,” she says.  “But this should hold her for now.”

There’s a cheerful whistling on the other side of Elsa’s ice wall and then there’s three taps sounding through the enclosure.  “Aren’t you cold in there?” asks a female voice, and it’s jaunty, almost casual.  It brings chills down his spine because the girl out there is a fire bender.

“Go away,” says Elsa, her voice firm.

“Oh,” says the voice, sounding almost gleeful.  “Are you the silly water bender who decided _ice_ was a good defense against me?  I can just melt it, you know.  You would have been better off using water.”  The girl doesn’t wait for a response and there’s a woosh as she starts to try to melt the ice wall down with fire.

Elsa’s face is grim, but determined, and she tosses her head, her braid flying to the side as she gets into a stance.  

The fire stops abruptly.  “How is this possible?” questions the girl, and then there’s a yelp and the sound of metal crashing down onto earth.  

Elsa’s quivering where she’s standing, out of triumph or fear, Jack’s not sure, and he watches as Eugene gives his sister a one-armed hug for comfort.  “Hey,” calls Jack, “you did it, sis.  Ice that can withstand fire.”

Elsa’s smile is shaky, “I told you it would work.”

They hear Hiccup on the other side, his voice hard in a way that sends shivers down Jack’s spine.  “Who are you?  Were you sent by someone?”

There’s no response, just a wordless snarl.  Elsa tilts her head, as if accessing how dangerous the situation is, before raising her hands.  The ice falls away into a sheet of water.

The first thing Jack notices is the metal cage Hiccup’s erected.  It’s intricate, as befitting of the man who created _living_ armor, and Jack stares at it in awe.  If the sounds he had heard earlier are correct, then Hiccup had created the cage in mere seconds.  The girl inside has a head of fiery red curly hair and her glare is lethal in the way she’s aiming it at Hiccup.  She has a quiver of arrows on her back and her dress is modest.

Hiccup’s hard exterior melts away when he sees them and then a panicked expression takes over it.  “Astrid,” he calls, worriedly, and then he’s there, kneeling next to Jack.  “What happened?  Is she okay?”

“Ask the fire bender over there,” says Eugene, his voice hard.  “I think she was aiming for Jack.  She meant to put him out of commission.”

“It’s not fatal,” placates Rapunzel.  “She should be fine as long as I get more water.”

“Thank you,” says Hiccup.  “I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to her.”

“It’s no problem,” says Rapunzel, kindly.  “If it wasn’t for her, Jack would be down, so there’s no thanks needed.  But,” she pauses, her eyebrows scrunched together in worry, “Do you think you can get us into the Earth Kingdom?  Astrid said she could, but she’s down, and I think I’ll need way more water than we currently have to heal her.”

Hiccup looks like he’s thinking hard over his response for a while and then he heaves a sigh.  He straightens up, his eyes grim, but determined.  “Yes,” he answers.  “My dad can get us in.  We wanted it to be a little less public than the group entering with me, but we can’t be picky.”

“Your dad?” cuts in Elsa, her eyes wide.  “Who is your dad?”

Hiccup’s smile is wry and crooked.  “The Chief of the Earth Kingdom.”

* * *

Things are a blur after Hiccup’s admission.  He marches them in without another moment’s wait, treating the guards to withering glares when they hesitate to take down the walls for him.  It makes Jack want to ask Hiccup a plethora of questions because the guards don’t treat Hiccup with respect despite knowing that Hiccup is the son of the Chief.  They treat Hiccup as if he’s useless, as if he hadn’t come up with an entirely different way of bending on his own.  And it only takes him a while to come to the conclusion that Hiccup’s _hiding_ his abilities.  He hasn’t told anyone of his metal bending and he acts as if he can’t earth bend either.  It confuses him, but it also makes his heart ache, because he understands Hiccup’s reluctance just as well as his own.  He hid from his duty of the Avatar because he hadn’t wanted to change peoples’ perceptions of him and it seems as if Hiccup had felt just the same as he did.

His dad is just as scary as Hiccup had promised.  He’s fiery and loud, and _big_ with a long beard that moves every time he opens his mouth.  It baffles Jack, because Hiccup is scrawny and small and his dad is anything but.  

Although it’s easy to see how the two are related, because Hiccup’s just as stubborn as his dad and he argues for fifteen minutes straight about protecting the Avatar.  

To which his dad responds with a pointed, “And how will we protect _ourselves_ when the Fire Nation comes for us?  As the next Chief, Hiccup, you should be thinking about your people foremost.”

“And I am thinking about our people!” retorts Hiccup, a wild sort of quality to his green eyes.  “The Fire Nation wants to conquer us, Dad.  How can we give up the _Avatar_ , the one who brings peace to this world?”

Chief Stoick heaves a long sigh, and that’s when Hiccup’s demeanor shifts.  His smile grows cheeky and he pats his dad’s arm to comfort him.  “Look, Dad.  We have water benders here.  And _earth_ benders.  Both put out fire rather quickly.  And to top it all off, we have the one and only air bender with us!  Who also happens to be the Avatar.  He can suck all the air right out and the fire benders won’t even be able to bend against us.”

“I hope you’re right,” says Stoick.  “But no promises until we get the assassin’s story out of her.”

Hiccup’s expression is hopeful.  “Thanks Dad!”

“And I hope you weren’t trying to distract me,” continues Stoick, “You’ve been missing for a week, out there adventuring and doing Odin knows what, and you come waltzing back here with the Avatar?  I want answers, young man.”

Hiccup looks guilty and he turns to look at Jack and the others.  Elsa catches on, and she herds them out of the room after they all say their collective thank you’s to the large man who happens to be Hiccup’s father.

Jack sends Hiccup a look full of pity to which Hiccup secretly rolls his eyes to after checking to see that his father isn’t paying attention.  Jack snorts at that and Hiccup raises his eyebrows and then the door is shut between them.

* * *

There’s not much water in the Earth Kingdom that Rapunzel can use to heal Astrid.  But Hiccup tells them of a lake secluded in the mountains that they can reach by flying on Toothless.  Hiccup’s dad comes with them and the journey only takes a few hours.

The three water benders help as much as they can by bending the water so the element is in easier reach for the healer, but Rapunzel still has to exert most of her inner energy to actually heal Astrid.

The stasis she put on Astrid helps stop the fire from burning her – the assassin had a way to make a fire that can’t be put out easily – and eventually Rapunzel extinguishes it. She slumps against her boyfriend’s side, exhausted, and Eugene helps support her as Hiccup thanks her profusely before turning to Astrid’s side.

She’s okay, and something in Jack’s heart stops squeezing it.  Because someone had gotten hurt protecting him because he’s the Avatar, and if Astrid had really been hurt because of him, he would have been devastated.

* * *

Hiccup somehow convinces his dad not to announce that the Avatar is amongst them.  They play it off as them being a group of refugees from the Northern Water Tribe and it works because word’s already gotten out that the Fire Nation’s attacked them.  And along with word of that, is word that the Fire Nation is looking for the Avatar.

Hiccup’s a good teacher.  Jack’s already able to make a pebble float in midair by using earth bending (though Hiccup had paused upon seeing it and had remarked that he wasn’t sure if Jack was cheating by using Air bending).  They go off into the mountains by using Toothless because Hiccup still doesn’t want the Kingdom to know how exceptional he is at earth bending.  Jack _could_ ask Hiccup to explain why exactly he wants to keep his powers a secret, but the way Hiccup sends him a grateful look after Jack brushes it off is enough for him to hesitate.

They stay as secluded in the mountains as they can.  Even though it’s only a short flight away by Toothless, it’s hard enough to get to that no sane earth bender would go up there just for fun.  Jack appreciates it, because while he knows that it’s also for Hiccup to keep how truly adept he is in bending from the people of the Earth Kingdom, it’s also in part for him to be able to earth bend and water bend freely without worry of him being the Avatar getting out.  It’s hard enough to not bend at all when they’re in public with Hiccup, so he’s grateful for the seclusion.

Sometimes Elsa joins them, or even Astrid, but most of the time it’s just the two of them. And Jack doesn’t mind, even if his little crush on Hiccup is growing out of control.  He thought it was harmless at first, especially since he thought he was just imprinting on Hiccup as the first guy he could actually like.  But as he spends more time with the metal bender, it becomes abundantly clear that he likes Hiccup as a _person_.  Hiccup’s _fun_.  He pranks Jack, he’s a hardcore risk-lover, and he’s more than willing to go beyond expectations to teach Jack earth bending.  And they get along better than he had ever gotten along with anyone.  Jack’s private, he doesn’t like letting many people in behind his barriers, but on only the second week, he ends up spilling all his fears of fire bending.  Of how he still associates it with the genocide of his people.  Of how he fears that he may _never_ be able to wield it and subsequently be unable to bring peace to the lands because of his fear.

Hiccup’s quiet when he tells him, his hand on Jack’s as a constant source of comfort as Jack continues to tell him of how he had witnessed the whole thing and had run away instead of protecting them.  

And Hiccup’s voice is firm when he tells him, “No, Jack, you couldn’t have done a thing.  You were just a wee lad then, unable to do any bending but air, and you _couldn’t_ have fought the entire Fire Nation army and won.  They sacrificed themselves so you could live and bring peace, and you _are_ doing that.  You have the burden of the Avatar and yet, you’re still so strong.  You’re going to learn the last two bending arts and you’re going to bring peace to the world.  I _know_ you can.”

And Jack takes one look at Hiccup’s sincere face and has to take a long moment to remind himself to breathe because it’s been a long time since someone has had such unconditional faith in him.  Even Elsa sometimes has a flash of doubt, not because she doesn’t think Jack can do it, but because she worries about him more than she does the rest of the world.

Hiccup doesn’t worry about him because Hiccup knows he can do it.

And somehow, that unconditional faith is enough to help him believe in himself.

He let out a nervous chuckle, his nerves battered raw from Hiccup’s kind words, and then leans his head down on Hiccup’s shoulder.  Hiccup lets him, one hand going up to tangle itself in short white locks, and Jack enjoys the serenity of the action for another minute, trying his best to calm down so he doesn’t do something weird and start crying on Hiccup’s shoulder.

He hasn’t even opened up to Elsa about what’s happened in the past and here he is, spilling everything to Hiccup because he’s got a nice smile and warm green eyes.  Though something deep inside of him protests because he _knows_ he’s not spilling everything to Hiccup because of how attractive he finds the earth bender, but because Hiccup’s comfortable and warm and everything he’s ever dreamed about.

He takes a deep breath in order to calm himself before leaning back up and treating Hiccup to one of his smiles.  “Does this faith in me carry on to teaching me metal bending?”

Hiccup stares at him, looking a little stunned at the confident words, before he snorts, rolling his eyes and playfully nudging at Jack’s shoulder.  “Dream on, Avatar.  You can’t learn metal bending.”

“I resent that,” starts Jack, and Hiccup interrupts him.

“The most you can do is move that pebble,” he pauses to point at the pebble that’s still sitting innocently on the stump that they’ve been using as a desk.  “And you think you can metal bend?”

“I _am_ the Avatar,” says Jack.  “Doing the impossible _is_ in the job description.”

Hiccup rolls his eyes in front of him, “I should never have said all those nice things.  They’ve already all gone to your head.”

“Hey!” he says, offended, and Hiccup laughs.  

“Master earth bending and _then_ I’ll think about teaching you.  For now, how about you try those exercises I taught you.”

“You better keep that promise,” grumbles Jack, reaching over to grab the pebble.  The exercises are tiring; after all, continuously morphing the pebble into a myriad of shapes is not Jack’s idea of fun.  

* * *

 

**Book 3: Air**

Jack masters earth bending.  He wakes up one morning, feeling in tune with the Earth, and promptly panics when he realizes he can earth bend successfully.  He keeps it quiet because mastering earth bending not only means he has to leave Hiccup, but that he also has to learn fire bending.

Fire bending’s killed all of his family and friends.  How could he betray them and control those flickering flames that had burned them all alive?

He doesn’t tell Hiccup for an hour when they meet up.  They’ve gone leagues beyond moving pebbles now, but Jack still falters with the more difficult stuff.  So Hiccup isn’t surprised when he isn’t able to make earth shoot out of the ground and instead has them break for a meal rather than forcing Jack to continue.

And Jack only contemplates lying for another minute as Hiccup starts to rummage around in his knapsack for their lunch before he decides against it.  Because he can’t lie to Hiccup who has been trying so hard to teach him for so long now.

Hiccup only stares at him in confusion when he confesses, and his voice is calm and not accusatory when he speaks.  “Why did you hide it?”  

Jack doesn’t know what to say for a long moment, because he can’t say it’s because he doesn’t want to leave Hiccup.  He doesn’t want to go find a fire teacher and ask Hiccup to choose between his Kingdom and _him_ because while he can dream that Hiccup would accompany them to the Fire Nation, it’s just that, a meritless dream.  

So he stutters before he bows his head and voices the second reason.  “ _Because_ I can’t fire bend, Hiccup.  I don’t want to.  I haven’t even looked at a fire since that day.”

Hiccup looks at a loss for words and that lost expression is enough to spur him to continue.  Because he doesn’t want to unload all his burdens on Hiccup when the poor boy has only done what Jack’s asked for all this time.  

“I know it’s the only way to bring peace to the world,” says Jack.

“Is it?” cuts in Hiccup.  When Jack looks at him in surprise, Hiccup’s expression is comforting and warm and uncertain all at the same time.   "There's something called the Avatar state.  It allows the Avatar to bend all four arts by drawing on the knowledge of the past avatars."

"How do you know about it?" he asks.

"Rapunzel told me about it," says Hiccup.  "She mentioned it once and then I found a book on it inside of my house.  I'm sure we can ask Toothless to confirm."

Toothless isn't happy when Jack asks him about it.  He's even less happy when Jack tells him he wants to try it to avoid fire bending.  But Toothless agrees to coach him through it because it's the only way to move forward since Jack isn't ready to face the Fire Lord and there's no one around that can teach him fire bending.

And Jack is _stubborn_.  So he needles Toothless into telling him everything he knows about the state.  He takes into account the worries Toothless has, but for some reason, refrains from telling Hiccup about them.  He knows it's cowardly, but he doesn't want to have Hiccup give up on the state.  Because if Hiccup wants to push it, he knows he'll have to leave the Earth Kingdom and save the world and he just isn't ready.  So even though he knows he's being selfish, he continues to try and figure out a way to enter the Avatar state.

Because he's falling in love with Hiccup each and every day and he can't imagine the thought of having to be separated from the metal bender.  He's ridiculously gone for the boy, which is stupid because he's only known Hiccup for a few months and because he's the Avatar.  He knows it's going to be different this time around because the world is so awfully off balance that it may take all of him to right it again.  He may be walking toward his end right now, and yet all he can think about is Hiccup's green eyes and warm smile and unconditional faith in him.  It's silly, and yet he can't stop it, and he dodges Elsa's questions and Rapunzel's worried looks and throws all of himself into mastering the Avatar state.

And promptly regrets it a few weeks later.

Because Toothless isn't as nice of a teacher as Hiccup.  He throws situations at Jack in order to trigger it, because the Avatar state is more instinctual than anything else.  It draws on his inner emotions and draws best from pure rage so Jack's already walking on a thin line when it happens.

Hiccup's the son of the chief, but even that can only take him so far when he disappears days on end to teach Jack and still pretends as if he doesn't possess any skill in earth bending.  Jack normally doesn't run into Hiccup when they're thick in the middle of the Earth Kingdom, so he's completely baffled when he hears the words filled with anger and witnesses the sneers on the bullies' faces.

He knows Snotlout, had heard stories from Astrid about just how volatile the bully got around Hiccup, and immediately fears the worst when he realizes that he's alone and the Earth Kingdom still thinks he can't bend.  He can't defend Hiccup.

Snotlout continues to taunt Hiccup, and Jack immediately stiffens when Snotlout gets a little more physical.  He pushes Hiccup and Hiccup staggers before stepping away lightly.  He's all lithe and graceful and it warms Jack's heart to see Hiccup answer Snotlout's cruel words with quick banter and a roll of his eyes.

He wants to help, but Hiccup catches his eye and then shakes his head, a clear sign to stay away.  Jack knows it's better to listen because he'll only make it worse if he charges in now.  But every part of his body wants to protect Hiccup and his nerves are frayed and he's shaking as he watches the fight escalate even more.  

Snotlout's taunts get even worse and then his cruel laughter is filling the air when he stomps his feet, a prison of earth surrounding Hiccup.  Hiccup doesn't seem worried, but the chuckles from the surrounding crowd makes Jack see red.  They're _laughing_ at their chief's son because they think he's useless which is the furthest thing from the truth.

He's out there before he can stop himself, and just as Hiccup predicted, everything goes horribly wrong.  Snotlout and his cronies only get more agitated by him joining the fight and it goes to blows and Jack can't win against three earth benders without using a single bending art.  

The words are cruel and he's so very angry that the crowd around them isn't saying a single word that he doesn't notice at first that Hiccup's escaped from the prison.  Because Hiccup's suddenly there, taking a punch meant for _him_ and the boy is staggering into his arms, a painful looking bruise showing on his face.

He sees red.

Air surrounds him in a circle, and he holds Hiccup tight in his arms as the wind blows everyone off their feet.  Hiccup stares up at him in pure shock, and whispers, "Your eyes, Jack, they're glowing pure white."

He hears Hiccup but there's a sharp ringing in his ears and all he can feel is pain as the Avatars' past knowledge surges through him.  He's so very angry and so out of control of his actions that he can't control what he's doing.

Toothless had warned him about this before they all started, that because he hadn't mastered the four bending arts the knowledge may overwhelm him.  He hadn't realized that this could happen, that he could be unable to control a single thing he did because of the sheer ringing in his ears.

So he lays Hiccup down gently and every part of him is defensively on edge and all he wants to do is _punish_ those who had hurt them.  He knows he's probably a sight, with his eyes glowing and his hands shaking with rage, and it's ridiculously easy for him to weave water out of the air and to soak them head to toe.

He loses track of what happens then, and the next thing he knows his friends are in front of him.  Elsa's crying again, but her hands are outstretched in front of him as if she's determined to stop him.  He only hesitates for a second before he turns on her, the pure rage and emotion still fueling his actions, and then a metal cage is being erected around him.  

He can't break it apart because metal bending is new, and then it deconstructs and Hiccup's suddenly there.  He's been crying and that's enough to get Jack to pause, and he stiffens when Hiccup throws his arms around him.  "Please," whispers Hiccup, "it's okay, Jack, come back to me."

The fight escapes him at the sound of Hiccup's fearful voice and then he's slumping forward in pure exhaustion as his eyes stop glowing bright white and the voices in his head stop whispering.

* * *

The fear of being exposed as the Avatar dims in comparison to the pure guilt he feels when he's learned of what he's done.  Sure, the Avatar state may have given him the power to defeat the Fire Lord, but it's also taken away his ability to _control_ the power.  Half of the Earth Kingdom is wrecked by the explosive power of his bending, and a quarter of that was caused by a fire that had taken ages to put out.  He doesn't even remember bending fire.  He doesn't remember much about what happened besides the burning need to protect Hiccup and punish the offenders.

Elsa sits with him in the room they set him up in and eventually spills the truth about what happened in the Northern Tribe.  She had been too afraid to tell him of what he had done back then, but had wised up after Hiccup had yelled at her.  If she hadn't coddled Jack and just told him what the Avatar state could do, maybe all of the damage could have been avoided.

He had saved the Northern Water Tribe, but he had also caused needless damage there as well.  The destructive power that came from the state was uncontrollable and he had hurt as many water benders as he had done fire benders.

It’s three days later that Hiccup and Jack finally end up alone.  It’s been a blur of activity what with both Hiccup’s metal bending reveal and the fact that Jack’s actually the Avatar.  Jack’s been trying his best to avoid Hiccup too, because he still feels extremely awkward around Hiccup after messing everything up.

So when Hiccup grabs his hand as he’s trying to exit the room, he startles and nearly stumbles over his feet in his haste to get away.  Hiccup’s grip is tight though and the only thing his fleeing accomplishes is Jack being yanked back into the room.

“Hiccup,” says Jack, “Let me go.  Please.”

“No,” says Hiccup, his voice mulish.  “You haven’t stopped running away from me ever since that day.”

“I haven’t been _running_ ,” protests Jack.  When he meets Hiccup’s eyes, Hiccup doesn’t look amused.  Hiccup arches an eyebrow and then Jack sighs.  “Okay, fine, I have been.  But can you blame me?  It’s my fault that everyone knows you’re a metal bender now.”

“Jack, you _know_ I don’t care about that.  You’re my friend.  I won’t hate you for that.  What’s the real reason?”

Jack flushes, his blue eyes immediately sliding from Hiccup’s worried face to land on the wall behind the metal bender.    He can't meet Hiccup's eyes because he's suddenly painfully aware of how deep his feelings have gotten.  Because the Avatar state is caused by extreme distress and the sight of seeing Hiccup in pain had caused his emotions to fly out of control.   _And_ Hiccup had been the one to draw him out of the Avatar state which was a clear enough confession of his feelings that he didn't even know how to face the bender.

Hiccup notices, and his lips purse.  “Is it about how they treat me?”

Jack finally meets his eyes, his mouth falling slightly open in shock.  “No,” he stammers out, but Hiccup continues anyway.

“Do you think less of me because they had such a horrible view of me?”

“No,” his words gain strength this time and he learns forward in his earnestness.  “Never, Hiccup.  You’re amazing, I could never think badly of you.”

“Good,” the taller man answers, and then his green eyes dart down to where Jack had grabbed him out of his desperateness to convince Hiccup that he didn’t feel the same way as his bullies did.  He narrows his eyes, but his smile stays as he asks, “Why was I able to bring you out of the Avatar state?”

Jack freezes, and then forces himself to relax so Hiccup doesn’t think anything’s wrong.  He’s about to deny it when Hiccup gets even closer than he already is, backing them up so Jack’s back is pressed against the wall.

He stares at Hiccup with wide eyes, and Hiccup continues in a low voice.  “You went into Avatar State to protect me, didn’t you?”

He wants to lie, but Hiccup’s body is pressed against his and he’s sure the metal bender can hear his heart beating insanely fast already.  So he sighs and nods his head, and a smile starts to grow on Hiccup’s face.

“And I was able to bring you out of it,” confirms Hiccup.  “Even Elsa and the others couldn’t.”

Jack’s sure his face is bright red now and he can’t help the yelp that escapes him as Hiccup presses even closer.

“So,” says Hiccup, the first sign of nervousness crossing his face, “Does this mean I can assume you like me?”

“What do you mean?” stammers Jack, his eyes impossibly wide as he stares at Hiccup.  “We’re both guys!” he protests, and Hiccup draws away immediately, insecurity easy to see in his green eyes.

“I didn’t,” starts Hiccup, looking lost, and then he shakes his head, taking a step back and putting even more distance between them.  “I mean…” Hiccup tries again and he falters, and Jack’s heart nearly stops when Hiccup lets loose a shuddering breath.  “I’m sorry,” he finishes, shaking and he makes to turn away.

And Jack realizes in that split second what exactly Hiccup’s assuming.  Hiccup isn’t making fun of him for liking guys – he actually likes _him_.  In his haste to stop Hiccup, he stumbles over his own feet.

Hiccup catches him easily, and Jack flushes when he feels the slight tremors under his fingertips.  Hiccup’s shaking, and that’s enough to cement Jack’s decision to take a leap of faith.  “I’m going to kiss you,” he says and, when Hiccup doesn’t stop him, leans forward and does what he’s been wanting to do for a long time.

* * *

Jack’s happier than he’s been in a _long_ time, even if the Earth Kingdom is still in shambles and they are already making plans to leave and find a fire bender to teach him.  Elsa isn’t very surprised when he tells her, and Rapunzel actually starts crying out of happiness for him.  

And it’s blissful, finally knowing that Hiccup shares the same feelings as him.  They’re each other’s firsts and it’s doubly exciting knowing that everything that happens is new to both of them.

Jack hasn’t asked Hiccup yet what’s going to happen when he leaves for the Fire Nation.  He’s scared to assume that Hiccup will come with them, because the Earth Kingdom is Hiccup’s _home_ and for the first time, the people are treating Hiccup with respect.  He’s created a whole new subset of earth bending, after all.  Even if it had been created because Hiccup had nothing else to do because of the isolation and ridicule by the people of the Earth Kingdom.

The two of them are getting lunch together when Elsa comes up, her hair falling in loose waves down her back.  

“Hey,” she says, “Don’t freak out.”

“Okay,” says Jack, puzzled.  “Here is me not freaking out.”

She narrows her eyes at him, obviously unamused, and Jack lets up, tilting his head up to aim a sunny smile at her.  “What’s up, Els?”

“I may have found you a teacher.”

“A fire bender?” asks Hiccup, his voice lowered, and he uses one of his legs to kick out a chair at their table for Elsa.  She sits, biting her lower lip, and Jack watches in shock as a pretty red flush spreads across his sister’s cheeks.

“Do you remember that girl who attacked us when we first came here?”

“Her?” asks Jack.  “Are you serious, Els?  How can we trust her?”

“Because,” says Elsa, “she’s nice.”

Jack arches an eyebrow at her, “Nice?  You’re going to just let her teach me fire bending because she’s _nice_?”

“And because…” She suddenly sighs.  “Because we’re dating.”’

Jack’s voice goes embarrassingly high, “You’re dating _her_?  The person who tried to assassinate your own brother?  Elsa!”

“She was paid to do so,” argues Elsa.  “She’s changed.”

“We let her out of the prison and into house arrest,” explains Hiccup, when Jack seems at a loss for words.  “In exchange for information on the Fire Lord.  It’s the reason why security has been so lax lately.”

“And she hasn’t caused any trouble?” asks Jack, resigned.  He trusts his sister’s judgment.

“No,” answers Elsa.  “Look, I didn’t mean to fall in love with her either.  In fact, I went after her to yell at her for attacking us in the first place.  But she made do with what she had and it’s easy to see the Fire Nation only saw her as a tool.  She’s different now.”

Jack stares at his sister for a long second and sees the way she’s visibly squirming in her chair.  He sighs, the fight leaving him and he reaches over to lay a hand on one of Elsa’s.  “What’s her name?”

“Merida,” says Elsa, her eyes shining with joy.  “She’s great.  She’s feisty and so different from the people we’re used to.”

“Well,” says Jack, unable to resist, “that may be because she’s an assassin.”

Elsa rolls her eyes, “Right, Jack, just get it out of your system before you meet Merida.”

Jack snorts and even though deep down inside he’s skeptical of trusting Merida, he wants to believe his sister because the race to learn fire bending is still going strong.  He’s already wasted time trying to master the Avatar state and what with the destruction that had happened just a mere week ago, word of him residing in the Earth Kingdom has probably already reached the Fire Nation.  They couldn’t afford to go to the Fire Nation to find a teacher, so Merida _is_ their only hope.

He just hopes that it doesn’t end up with him dead.

* * *

They get word of the Fire Nation sending troops a day after Jack meets Merida for the second time.  

Elsa sends him a look as soon as they find out.  “You have to ask, Jack.”

“No, I don’t,” he says, petulant because _how_ does his older sister always know _everything_.

“Jack,” says Elsa, the name sounding like a reprimand, and Jack sighs.  

Hiccup’s busy helping them erect a new building when he finds him.  He appreciates the sight for a few minutes, loathe to actually go out there and start a touchy conversation when he could just stand back and stare at the way sweat makes Hiccup’s muscles glisten in an entirely too attractive way.

He’s promptly caught when Hiccup tilts his head back and sees him, but Hiccup’s bright smile is enough to chase away any awkwardness he felt.  After all, Hiccup is _his_ , so he’s allowed to stare.

“Hi,” says Hiccup, when he gets closer.  “How’s my favorite Avatar doing?”

“There’s only one Avatar in the world,” points out Jack, but he’s amused anyway, and he lets Hiccup sling an arm around him even though he’s awfully sweaty.

“Mm, still my favorite,” answers Hiccup, and Jack laughs and obediently tilts his head to the side so Hiccup can plant a kiss on his cheek.  

“So,” says Jack, “Something may have come up.”

“Oh?” asks Hiccup.  He leads them into a quieter, more secluded place and sits them down.  “Is everything okay?”

“Sort of?” answers Jack.

Hiccup blinks and Jack presses on before Hiccup could say anything.  “Can we borrow Toothless?”

“Okay,” says Hiccup, drawing out the word in obvious confusion.  “You know I don’t own Toothless, love.”

Jack can’t help the frustrated sound that escapes his mouth, and Hiccup’s eyebrows raise.  Hiccup leans over and takes Jack’s hands into his own, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of one of them.  “Is everything okay?”

“Just to the Fire Nation,” he goes on to say.

“Oh,” says Hiccup.  “Don’t tell me, do you think I’m not going to go with you?”

“Er,” he stalls, and Hiccup actually laughs, his smile warm and his eyes fond.  “I can’t ask you to leave behind your home!”

“And where did we meet?” asks Hiccup, sounding patient.  “I was already _in_ Northern Water Tribe territory by the time you found me!  My dad’s used to it.”

“That’s to explore the world, not to go to your death!”  He bites his lip as soon as that escapes his mouth, and he casts his eyes downward, unable to see his boyfriend’s face.  He hadn’t meant to let his insecurities out so easily and now that it’s out there, he doesn’t know how to take it back.  He doesn’t want Hiccup to think he’s a coward.

“If you’re looking to convince me not to come, love,” says Hiccup, “you’re not doing a very good job of it.”

“I’m not –” he immediately starts to protest, and Hiccup interrupts him.

“I know you’re scared,” says Hiccup, “But I’m a metal bender and you’re the _Avatar_.  I’m probably safest when I’m with you, you know.”

“But we’re going to go fight the Fire Lord,” he argues, and is unsurprised when Hiccup just shrugs.

“I haven’t had my yearly dose of danger yet.  Sounds like this is a good enough place to start.”

“Hiccup,” he says, frowning, and Hiccup smiles, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Jack’s lips.

“You know I’m going to follow you even if you don’t want me to come,” points out Hiccup. His voice is lower when he speaks next, “You’re not the only one worried.  I know I can’t stop you from fighting the Fire Lord, but the least I can do is be there next to you when you do it.”

He lets out a stilted breath at Hiccup’s kind words, and he feels more than sees Hiccup’s smile when the scrawny boy wraps his arms around him.  “Okay,” Jack says, and Hiccup laughs, the sound reverberating between the two of them.

“You better not let Toothless know you thought I owned him,” says Hiccup after a while.  “He won’t ever stop being offended.”

Jack snorts before laughing, and the laughter dislodges the worry that had been stuck in his chest.

* * *

**Book 4: Fire**

After much debate with Hiccup’s father and the council elders, both Hiccup and Elsa work together to make a barrier around the whole place.  Elsa has had practice since her time from leaving the Northern water Tribe, and she easily erects an even better barrier of ice.  She helps teach Hiccup, and Hiccup weaves a stunning masterpiece of both metal and earth to protect the outside of Elsa’s ice barrier.  Since the Earth Kingdom is warmer than the Northern Water Tribe, the metal barrier Hiccup has also works to keep the air around the barrier cool enough to stop the ice from melting completely.

Jack can tell Hiccup’s worried, but Hiccup’s already made his decision to follow him and his boyfriend is the most stubborn person he’s ever met.

They leave the morning after the barriers are set into place.  Toothless easily flies above the both of them, and Jack leans against Hiccup’s side as they get further and further.

Merida teaches him fire bending when they land to set up camp.  He hates it.  It makes his skin crawl and he feels awfully heated every single time he sees Merida bend it.  He doesn’t mind Merida though, because she’s sweet enough despite having tried to kill him the first time they met, and because it’s obvious she makes his sister happy and that’s enough for him.

He ends up crying when they’re about to fall asleep the first night after Merida fire bended in front of him.  It just brings up a whole bunch of memories that he rather have forgotten and the fact that he _has_ to do this to save the world grates on him and makes him even more anxious to do well.

Hiccup soothes him with well timed kisses and sweet words, and it’s enough to bolster him through another five hours of lessons.  

He’s just accomplished his first flame when Merida sits them all down with a worried expression.  Elsa seats herself next to her girlfriend, wrapping a comforting arm around her waist as Merida takes a deep breath.

“There’s something you all must know,” says Merida.  She hesitates, but when Elsa’s hand finds its way into hers, she takes one more deep breath before letting out her secret.  “I’m the Fire Lord’s niece.”

“What,” says Eugene, flatly.  “How are you _here_ then?”

“The Fire Lord’s not a very nice person,” says Merida.  “He doesn’t have children because he doesn’t want anyone to make a claim on the throne.  Which leaves me as the sole heir.  You can see why he wanted me gone.”

“He’s the one who told you to assassinate me,” says Jack, and Merida looks guilty when she nods.

“It took me a long time to even think about attempting it,” says Merida.  “I just wanted to go back home and I naively thought kidnapping you would be the best way to do it.”  She bit her lip before bowing her head.  “I’m sorry.”

Jack’s at a loss for words, unable to properly forgive her but not willing to put the poor fire bender in pain because Jack didn’t actually hold a grudge against her.  “You’re teaching me fire bending,” he says, instead, and Merida’s smile is brilliant when she looks back up at him.

“Trying,” she amends, her quick wit back, “You’re rather awful with it.”

Jack pouts, and Hiccup and the others can’t hide their laughter fast enough.  He glares at his boyfriend, and Hiccup just chuckles, pressing a quick kiss to the side of Jack’s head.  “She’s right, darling,” says Hiccup.  “But if it makes you feel any better, you were quite fast in learning earth bending.”

“It does not make me feel any better,” he says dryly, and Hiccup just laughs at him, pressing another wet kiss to his cheek.

“So,” says Merida, trying to bring the conversation back on topic.  “I’m actually wanted in the Fire Nation.  I’ve been missing too long and the Fire Lord has had more than enough time to spin enough wild tales about me I wouldn’t be surprised if even my friends hate me.”

“What Merida’s trying to say,” continues Elsa, “is that once we get to the Fire Nation, Jack, we won’t have much of a window to attack the Fire Lord without suspicion.  We’ll have to move fast.”

“And you have to learn fire bending before we get there,” says Merida, a tad apologetically.  "I know I've been tough on you, but I'm only going to have to get worse from here on out."

Jack takes a deep breath at the thought of even _more_ intense fire bending before mustering up a smile for his friends.  "Alright," he says, "But if you sit on me one more time..."

"Sit?" asks Elsa, her eyes wide.

"It was once!" protests Merida, her cheeks a brilliant flushed pink.  "I tripped because he cheated and used earth bending during our duel!  And then I fell on him and couldn't get back up."

Jack laughs at the sight of Merida embarrassed beyond belief and takes comfort in the way Hiccup's hand squeezes his.  It's silent, but it's still there, and it tells Jack that even if he's still absolutely terrified by fire bending, Hiccup's there for him and always will be.

* * *

It isn't easy, but he learns fire bending.  Merida's teaching ways are unusual and sometimes downright terrifying, but by the time they're ready to storm the Fire Nation, he's ready.  

Toothless comes to him the night before, startling both Jack and Hiccup from where they had been stargazing.   _You're ready,_ says Toothless, and when Toothless pushes him down and lays a paw on him, a vision of Roku is suddenly in his mind.

 _There's a way out of this without having to kill,_ explains Roku.   _The Fire Lord is weak without his bending and I'm here to teach you how to take it away._

He doesn't protest because although he hadn't made a big fuss about it before, the Air Nomads aren't killers and Jack had been wondering for a long time what his family was going to say when he headed off to the afterlife after killing the Fire Lord.  Roku coming to him solved everything.

It's not hard though, because he's accomplished the Avatar State twice already.  And with his mastering of all four bending arts, the Avatar state shouldn't induce a lack of control anymore.  It's supposed to be simple: get in, take away the Fire Lord's bending, and instate Merida as the new Fire Lord.

It isn't as easy as it sounds.  The Fire Lord knows they're coming and has a series of troops meet them when they get to his palace.  They split up to take them on, and Jack protects Merida when her uncle’s nostrils flare at the sight of her and his fire bending shoots dangerous flames at her.  The water benders are able to easily fight back against the fire benders because of their advantage, but the sheer numbers ensure that they’ll be too busy to be of much help.

Jack only hesitates for a split second before Hiccup stomps his feet and metal cages down every enemy near them.  Jack stares at Hiccup in awe for a second before Hiccup grabs him by the front of his clothes and pulls him into a bruising kiss in front of everyone.  

Jack laughs when Hiccup lets him go and even if this might be their _last_ kiss because he’s off to fight the man who had set the world off balance for the last hundred years, he’s not _scared_.  Because Hiccup’s there, with bright green eyes and a heart that solely believes in Jack, and it’s enough to bolster him into smug confidence for the fight against the Fire Lord. Hiccup believed in him even when Jack had been too afraid to fire bend, and when he glances above his love’s shoulder, he can’t help the smile that spreads across his face, because Elsa and Rapunzel and Eugene are there and the room’s full of people he loves, people who are fighting to pave the way for him to do his duty as the Avatar.

So he takes a deep breath, looks Hiccup square in the eye, and says quite clearly, “I love you and if you get seriously injured by these small grunts while I’m off fighting their boss, I'll never stop teasing you.”

And before Hiccup can respond, because his boyfriend’s too busy staring at him in complete shock, he grabs Merida’s hand and with as much power as he can muster, he bends the earth so that it’s just the two of them and the Fire Lord on a platform.  (He’s not running from Hiccup even though it’s the first time he’s said that he loved the metal bender so blatantly, because he already knows in his heart that Hiccup loves him, too.)

Merida’s shaking because even after weeks of flying on Toothless she still _hates_ heights, but she holds her chin up anyway.  Even if the Fire Lord and her don’t get along, Jack knows that she has to say good-bye and he’s willing to grant her that.

“I hate you,” Merida says first, and the Fire Lord just sneers at her and looks down at her as if she isn’t worth his time.  “But you’re still my uncle,” she continues, her flaming curls flying around her head in the sheer wind that’s whipping around them from the height.  “You’ve done a lot of bad things, which is why I’m taking back the mantle of the Fire Lord.”

“I will like to see you try, weakling,” answers the Fire Lord back, unshaken by both their height and Merida’s words.  “You’ve always let others fight your battles.  Perhaps it is time to finally fight your own.”

He doesn’t wait for an answer, slapping his hands together and shooting _lightning_ , a variation of fire bending, at his own niece.  Jack’s already moving to block it, but Merida takes a deep breath, determination shining in her eyes, and she’s bending beautifully, a wave of fire easily slapping away the lightning.

The battlefield erupts into chaos.  It’s awash in lights from lightning and fire and every now and then, Jack adds stability by bending earth platforms beneath Merida to fight the Fire Lord.  He knows that this should be an epic last battle between him and the Fire Lord, but he’s _tired_ of living his life by the duty that comes of being an Avatar and he knows Merida deserves this.

Merida’s been teaching him for months now, so they know each other’s fighting styles in and out.  She calls out the bending arts she wants him to use, and he obediently listens to her because she has instincts honed by assassin training.  And it works.  For a while, it looks as if they’re beating the Fire Lord back.

But the advantage doesn’t last long, and suddenly, Merida’s down by a strong lightning bolt, and Jack’s only option is to float her back down to Hiccup and the others.  He’s not scared, still, instead he’s eerily calm because he’s sure that this is how it was supposed to go from the beginning anyway.

As the Avatar, he has to bring peace back to the lands.

With a deep breath, he closes his eyes.  

When he opens them, his eyes are aglow.  And his mind is his own.

He doesn’t wait for a reaction from the Fire Lord, and instead he calls the four bending arts to him.  They all float in spirals around him, one water, one fire, one earth, and finally, one air.  At once, he calls them down upon the Fire Lord, and he dissipates all of them when the Fire Lord cowers in fear and they shower over him harmlessly, leaving nothing behind.

When he lands, he has to shake himself out of the Avatar state.  It isn’t what’s needed here.  He isn’t here to kill the Fire Lord.

Instead, he takes Toothless’ words to heart and places one hand on the Fire Lord’s chest and the other on his forehead.  The Fire Lord sneers at him, “Too weak to finish the job, Avatar?”

“No,” says Jack, feeling calm still, and does the most important bending of his life.

He takes away the Fire Lord’s bending.

* * *

The people welcome Merida back with open arms.  Apparently, even with all the rumors the Fire Lord had spread, none of them had been able to make a dent on Merida’s reputation.  She’s smart, kind, and has a big heart, so Jack isn’t very surprised that the people love her.

Elsa’s happy enough, and Jack just presses a kiss to her cheek when she tells him she’s going to stay with Merida.  He doesn’t blame her, even if Jack still doesn’t want to spend any more time in the Fire Nation than he has to, he can still visit her every now and then.  Jack promises her that he’ll take down the ice walls around the Northern Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom so she can stay in the Fire Nation with Merida.

Rapunzel and Eugene have plans to head back to the Northern Water Tribe.  Toothless offers to take them the long ride back, and Jack doesn’t say goodbye, only see you later, because even far away, he knows he can see them anytime he wants.

Which only leaves Hiccup and him.  He’s done his duty as the Avatar; he’s brought peace back and reinstated a kind and loving Fire Lord rather than a power-hungry one.  He feels rather bereft now, and only hopes that Hiccup doesn’t decide to leave him.  He feels silly for thinking so, especially since Hiccup had followed him to the Fire Nation, but he can’t help but to worry since his grand quest is over now and he has absolutely no plans on what to do next.

He finds Hiccup in the palace’s main room, where Merida’s coronation is to take place the next day.

“So,” says Jack, drawing out the word.  “Are you going to head back to the Earth Kingdom?”

Hiccup blinks up at him, pausing in where he’s been studying the intricate architecture of the palace.  “For what?”

“You know,” says Jack, “to rule your kingdom and all.”

“My dad’s still alive and kicking,” points out Hiccup, looking awfully amused.  “Are you scared I’m going to leave you now that we defeated the bad guy?”

“No,” he protests, and doesn’t resist when Hiccup walks over and snakes a toned arm around Jack’s waist.  

“Because I was thinking that we can explore the world together now,” says Hiccup.  “I can make my map and you can go off and spread peace now that everyone knows you’re the Avatar.”

“You want to stay with me?” he can’t keep the sound of disbelief out of his voice and Hiccup chuckles, leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss against his lips.

“I stayed with you even though every day the Fire Lord could have found us.  And now that we’ve taken care of the threat, you think I’m going to leave?  You’re going to have to do a lot more than that to get rid of me.”

He blushes and Hiccup’s smile turns into a smirk.  “I don’t want you to leave,” he says, instead, and stares into Hiccup’s warm, green eyes.

“Good,” says Hiccup, the word sounding like a promise.  “Because I have no intention of letting you go ever again, you loveable idiot.”

“Hey,” he says, offended, and laughs when Hiccup leans forward and draws him into a kiss. 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you so much for reading :) And if you liked it, please comment/leave kudos because they make my day! My artist and I had so much fun thinking up little details in this combined world xD, so I really hope everyone enjoyed reading it and that it wasn't too confusing haha. (Please ask any questions if you were confused at all :D).
> 
> Also, if you liked this, please go and check out reversehijackbigbang for more fics!  We have nine teams, all with AWESOME fics and AMAZING art, and we've all worked really hard on them so please check it out if you have time! 


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